Iranian-backed social media accounts have allegedly been agitating for leftist causes in the United Kingdom, including supporting Scottish separatism and anti-monarchy activism. The accounts are believed to be operated or influenced by Iran‘s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Researchers at Clemson University in the United States identified over 80 accounts involved in discussions on X (formerly Twitter) about Scotland breaking away from the United Kingdom. Collectively, these accounts account for around four percent of the related discourse—significantly higher than the official account of the Scottish National Party (SNP), which runs Scotland’s devolved government.
The accounts in question have been posting content critical of Britain’s traditional institutions, including the monarchy. One post complained of King Charles’s 11-year-old grandson, Prince George, allegedly receiving flying lessons “as children across the UK suffer due to [a] ‘cost of living crisis.’”
The study comes after Iran sent hacked documents from the campaign of President Donald J. Trump to President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and members of the press.
Russia and China have likewise been agitating for far-left causes, with the Department of Justice (DOJ) announcing last year that they had uncovered an eight-year-long Russian interference operation funding black Marxists.
Earlier this year, several of the black Marxists involved in the operation were convicted in a Florida court for foreign agent offenses, including sowing discord in the United States.